The Masters of Fate
by catgoesmeow28
Summary: The 75th Annual Hunger Games is about to start and the list of tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors and another set of teenagers from each district. A/N: My version of Catching Fire. POV is by my original character. Most pairings are CANON. Finnick/Annie, Katniss/Peeta Finnick/Original Character Rated M to be safe.
1. Prologue: The Victors

_"The planets are bells on his motley,_

_He fleers at the stars in their state,_

_He banters the suns burning hotly-_

_The Jester whose nickname is Fate."_

_(Fate, The Jester by Arthur Guiterman)_

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

**THE VICTORS OF THE 74TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES**

I sit in front of my family's television set as the last moments of the 74th Annual Hunger Games air, a bored look on my face. Seriously... I don't understand what in hell is so entertaining about watching a bunch of teenagers fight each other to the death. The girl on fire, Katniss Everdeen had just shot an arrow at that blonde boy from District 2 (forgot his name but I know he was hot. Too bad) in order to end his suffering from the muttations eating him alive. I shudder. This is disgusting.

I look at the time. 7:30 PM. My dad... Well, stepdad, Eli Marco is the mayor of District 4 and my mother, Catherine Marco is the wonderfully supportive wife. They're out (as usual), probably at the Justice Building, watching the same show with his staff. Aside from that, Finnick Odair just arrived that afternoon and of course everyone is making a fuss.

Whatever.

My name is Allison Conde. Obviously, I'm not using my stepdad's name. I didn't want him to adopt me. He's honestly an okay kind of guy. He makes my mom happy and he's very responsible and I admire his leadership qualities. But I just can't let my real dad's name go. He died when I was 10. Broke his neck when he slipped on a rock while fishing with his other fisherman friends.

Our lifestyle now is very different from before. I can pretty much get what I want now. I don't have many friends though. People have branded my mom and I as gold-diggers ever since she started dating the mayor. And when they got married, no one bothers to talk to me at all. I don't really care. I don't need their drama. At least I no longer need to drop my name for tesserae. Unlike them poor people.

I sigh. Okay. Bad thought. I look at the TV screen again and see Katniss and her boyfriend getting ready to eat berries. Berries? My eyes widen. Nightlock... They're going to commit suicide?!

I narrow my eyes at them. Not that they can see me though. Idiots. Just kill each other already so we can all move on! As if that's gonna work. It's not as if the Capitol would care to stop you.

"Stop!" It's Claudius Templesmith's voice. Huh? "Stop!" he says again.

I'm completely lost. The last two tributes halt and look up at the sky, equally confused as I am.

"Ladies and gentlemen... The victors of The 74th Annual Hunger Games!" Claudius announces.

Holy shit. They just won.

I stand up, turn the bloody television off and head to my room. That was indeed an unexpected turn of events.

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**A/N: Hey guys! I decided to make a Finnick/Own Character pairing. Though it's also an Annie Cresta/Finnick Odair story, it's POV will be by Allison Conde, my original character. I hope you guys enjoy my version of Catching Fire through the eyes of my character. Bear with me please! Coz I truly enjoy writing this :) R and R!**


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting Finnick Odair

**CHAPTER ONE**

**MEETING FINNICK ODAIR**

"Mom!" I storm through the dining room and give her and the mayor my most impressive glare. "I'm busy today!"

Mayor Eli chuckles. "Teenagers.." I hear him mutter in amusement.

My mother smiles. "What exactly are you doing today, dear?"

I roll my eyes. "I need to give Buddy a bath," I answer, trying to make it sound so important. Buddy is my dog. He's a big, fat dog with blonde hair. He's really cute.

She raises a brow at me. "You give him a bath for what? 5 minutes?" She crosses her arms in front of her chest and gives me a knowing look. "He's not so bad. He's very charming and good-natured."

"I don't give a sh-" I stop myself when my mom gave me the look. Crap.

"Ali," my stepdad starts. "Finnick Odair only stays in this district for a short time. He's always in the Capitol. We need to give him our time and make him feel welcome."

"But I never had to meet him the past few years. Why start now?" I ask in exasperation.

"Well, your dad and I have been talking..." Mom trailed off.

I raised a brow at them. "And?"

"Well, Finnick Odair is Panem's most eligible bachelor. And he's from District 4. Though he's spent 10 years in the Capitol, this place is his home."

"And your point is, mother?"

She sighs as if the answer is so obvious.

"Maybe _you_ stand a chance," she said.

I fall silent. Finnick Odair is Panem's biggest PLAYBOY. I bet he's slept with every woman in the Capitol. He's nothing but SCUM.

I want to say all that but I don't. Instead I walk out and head towards Buddy's dog house. He seems eager to see me. His excitement brings a smile to my face. I take his leash and we start walking to the direction of the lake.

On the way there, a lot of people throw me icy glances. Some people compliment my dog. Some people mind their own business. I like the latter.

Few minutes later, I take Buddy's leash off and he runs toward the water and jumps, splashing water everywhere. I giggle in amusement. "You enjoy yourself, Buddy!" I call out to him.

"Nice dog," a suave voice startles me and I look quickly to it's direction on top of a tree. The guy has bronze hair and tan skin. He's wearing fashionable clothes and I can tell he isn't from around here.

But he looks so familiar...

Then, realization hit me. Holy shit! "Finnick Odair..." I say through gritted teeth.

He smiles down flirtatiously at me. "You must be the mayor's daughter."

"Stepdaughter," I correct him. He shrugs and jumps down. Kinda impressive since he was really far up that tree. But I don't care. Hmph.

"So..." He drawls as he approaches me. "Does the mayor's stepdaughter have a name?"

I glare daggers at him. "Allison. But I think calling me by my first name is incredibly distasteful. You don't know me."

He walks closer and his face is now closer to mine. I can feel him breathing on my skin. He was smirking. "Such a beautiful name... For such a beautiful girl."

I feel the blush creeping up on my cheeks and I want to push him. So I do.

SPLASH!

He'd just fallen down the water. Buddy immediately begins swimming his way to the guy thinking he needed rescuing. But of course _perfect_ Finnick knows how to swim. He starts laughing hard inside the water and play with Buddy.

I scowl. That dog has no loyalty. I call him over and he starts shaking the water off of his fur. Finnick follows and shakes the wetness off his hair with a profound grin. It seems he can never stop grinning, it's irritating. "I'm glad you're amused," I said sarcastically.

He grins even more. "You've got me quite entertained today. Not to mention really _wet_," his eyes take on a dangerous glint and I back away from him, grabbing Buddy's leash. He tries to be violent and we run. I brace myself.

"What if I return the favor and make you wet too?"

I glare at him and stomp off. "No thank you. And you deserved that, you creep."

He just laughs and lets me walk away.

Buddy and I head straight to the bathroom when we get home and ignore my mom's questions. If I'll be meeting Finnick Odair again, I don't wanna look mediocre. He's such an ass. I need to show him that not everyone is interested in him. Okay, he's definitely good-looking. But his attitude just pisses me off.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I guess I look pretty good. I've caught some of the guys at school staring at me in the cafeteria during lunch. Although no one ever had the courage to ask the mayor's stepdaughter on a date. Everyone knows I'm off-limits. Aside from that, some people think I'm a gold-digger after my mom's wedding so I have no friends. I do have one friend. Well, he's actually my cousin so I don't know of he's suppose to be considered as a friend. He's a year younger than I am. His name's Jared. He's kinda annoying most of the time though.

I finish shampooing Buddy's hair and proceed with my own bath. The warm water starts to relax me and I try to enjoy the little piece of heaven until I see Finnick Odair again. I finish off, dry myself and prep up. In all of District 4, I'm one of the girls with the most beautiful hair. My long, brown hair is probably my best asset. I star to apply a little eye make-up to emphasize my brown eyes and then apply light lipstick. I never use too much make-up. It makes me uncomfortable. I do have a liking for eyeliner.

I chose a blue off-shoulder dress with a flared skirt and I slip in my favorite black boots. I give myself one last look and raise an eyebrow at my reflection and smirk._ I am so ready_.

An hour or so later...

"He's so late," I grumble as I sip my tea in the sitting room. He's just so incorrigible. My mom pats my hand to try to pacify my growing irritation. Mayor Eli is busy reading a book and doesn't seem to be affected by Finnick Odair's lateness. "Can I be excused?"

"Allison," my stepdad finally acknowledged us. "We have to wait. Finnick Odair is a very busy man. I'm sure he has a good excuse for being late."

"Fine... I'll give him 15 minutes. If he still hasn't arrived, I'm heading out."

Just then, there was a knock from the door and our butler peers in. "Mr. Odair has arrived," he announces. Mayor Eli motions for him to let Finnick Odair in the sitting room. A few moments more, Finnick walks to us, a sickeningly charming smile on his face.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to go home for a bit to check on Mags. She was having a bit of trouble handling Annie," he explaims apologetically. If I remember correctly, Finnick has a soft spot for Annie Cresta, the victor of The 70th Annual Hunger Games. She went mad after she saw her partner lose his head (literally) in the arena. Poor girl.

"No need to apologize, Mr. Odair," the mayor smiles and motions for him to sit in one of our plush arm chairs. Finnick gracefully sits down and gives me a look and a wink. I scowl at him.

"It's good you've found time to change your clothes. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold now, wouldn't we?" I smirk as I recall the glorious moment I pushed him to the water.

He smirks back. "Well I wanted to look as presentable as you do, Allison. After all, you took all these efforts to beautify yourself for me this evening. I'm flattered."

I blush profusely and glare at him. How dare he!

My mom and stepdad look at the two of us, obviously confused at what's going on. "You two know each other?" My mom asks.

Finnick nods. "We met this afternoon at the lake where she pushed me."

My mother gasps in horror and gives me a fierce look, "You unbelievable girl!"

"He asked for it," I say, seething.

My stepdad sighs in exasperation. "We apologize for our daughter's misbehavior."

"No need, Mayor. I truly enjoyed my encounter with Allison. And I'm hoping I could spend more time with her during my stay here. Her company is quite... Refreshing to me," he says, his smile unwavering. As if I'd ever agree to that!

"Of course! She'd be _more_ than willing to spend time with you," my mother raises her eyebrow at me, daring me to contradict her. I knew better. I keep my mouth shut but I continue to glare at Finnick. He's done it. He's really pissed me off BIG TIME but he remains unfazed.

Another knock on the door, it was the maid this time. "Dinner is served." We all move to the dining room, Finnick walked beside me, of course to irritate me further. I don't acknowledge him even when he took a seat beside me at dinner.

All three of them talk all through dinner while I remain quiet and pick at my food. I've completely lost my appetite. I tuned out of their endless chatter and was about to excuse myself when Finnick called my name. I grudgingly look at him.

"Yes?" I ask him.

"Your mother was just telling me that you have a talent in music," he says and I can tell that he doubts it with his tone. Hmph.

"Yeah. So?"

"So, why don't you be a _good girl_ and play us a song?" my mom suggests but obviously it was a command.

I roll my eyes and walk over to our grand piano. I started to play the piano late. I was already 12 when I learned. My stepdad was into Pre-Panem music and he has a big collection in his study. I've gone gaga over them ever since I heard them years ago.

I can also play guitar. I don't know how I learn them by myself but I have to admit, I sound okay. I stretch my fingers and start playing one of my favorite songs. My mom recognizes it immediately. It's her favorite too.

"Ooh I love this song," she says enthusiastically. "Do sing for us, dear."

I sigh, close my eyes and sing.

_Oh my love, my darling..._

_I hunger for your touch_

_A long, lonely time..._

_And time goes by..._

_So slowly_

_And time can do so much..._

_Are you still mine?_

I open my eyes and see Finnick looking at me, his expression unreadable. My mom is singing along and Mayor Eli looks proud. At least I've done something right for them today. I bet Mr. Perfect over there is eating his doubts about now.

_I need your love, I need your love..._

_Godspeed your love to me..._

I end the song with a nice flourish and as the last notes resonate through the room, all the people in the room, including our servants, burst into applause. I look at all of them and smile in gratitude. Suddenly, I didn't care if Finnick Odair was in my personal space. Maybe he's okay after all. At least he appreciates good music. Maybe he's not so bad.

"Thank you, everyone," I say and go back to my seat beside Finnick. The atmosphere between us suddenly seems more civil than it was a few minutes ago. I guess he was really impressed.

After a few more minutes, Finnick bade us goodnight and we all see him to the door. A car was waiting for him and a chauffeur opens the back door.

"Thank you for having me here tonight, Mayor Eli, Madam Catherine. Dinner was most enjoyable. And Allison," he turns to me, all serious and I don't know why but my heart started beating faster than usual.

"W-what is it?" I ask him, trying to look more confident but failing.

He smiles, not his usual flirty, annoying smile. But a sincere one. He takes my hand and kisses it. "I'll see you again."

I stood there, dumbfounded as he enters his car and leaves our driveway. I stare after him in silence until my stepdad started to cough and I'm brought back to the present.

"Well, that turned out quite better than I expected," Mayor Eli lightly chuckles.

My mother pats me on the back. "Well done, dear. You've made a great impression on Panem's most eligible bachelor," she winks at me.

I don't believe this. I tell myself. Stop it Allison! There is no way I'm ever going to admit that I have a stupid crush on Finnick Odair. No freaking way!

* * *

**A/N: I am so sorry if my update is a bit delayed! I got sick last night and I couldn't finish the chapter sooner. But I do hope you enjoy this as well. The title of the song is Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers. I don't own The Hunger Games and of course the song. Love much! Xoxo**


	3. Chapter 2: The Fisherman's Festival

**CHAPTER 2**

**THE FISHERMAN'S FESTIVAL**

The people of District 4 have started to prepare for the upcoming Fisherman's Festival. It's a week of festivities in order to celebrate another successful year in the fishing industry. This year is extra special for the townspeople because Finnick Odair had finally accepted the district's invitation for the first time in many years.

A lot of people have set up stalls in the town proper, with games and food. There will also be entertainment outside the Justice Building where they will be showing theatrical plays and other acts.

On the last day of festivities, there will be a fishing exhibition. A lot of the men here are excited about showing off their fishing skills. There are different stages or levels.

The first level, a spear would be used as their weapon, the next a trident and the last would be catching fish with your bare hands.

My father won that competition for 10 years. The people of the district always remember and honor him every year and somehow, I feel as if they do it to spite me and my mother. I wish I could just stay home. But my attendance is a must. Pft.. As if anyone's happy to see me.

For the next few days, I roam town with Buddy and observe everyone. I wouldn't admit that I was actually looking around for a certain victor. But I'm out of luck. I haven't seen a glimpse of him at all.

I don't get this. One moment, I totally hate the mere thought of him and then the next, all my mind can think of is him and how he looked at me before he left. He's such a complex person.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. Maybe it was nothing. But what if he likes me? My heart skips at the thought and I feel my cheeks turn pink. I halt on my tracks, ignoring the curious looks the people are giving me and shake the thought out of my head. As if that's gonna work.

Buddy barks excitedly and I tell him to quiet down. This is clearly not the time to misbehave.

I hear a familiar chuckle and look up to see none other than the guy I was looking for. "Finnick," I breathe out. I mentally kick myself for sounding so obvious.

He smiles. "Allison," he says. "I've been looking for you."

Holy shit, really? I clear my throat. "Well, here I am. What do you want?" I ask him, straight to the point. Give yourself a pat on the back, girl!

"Will you be my date?" he asks, taking on a serious tone.

My eyes widen. Did he just ask me out? Is he for real? Oh. God. Calm down, Allison! "Oh... Uhm, okay," I answer lamely, trying hard not to blush.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "You're not gonna tell me to fuck off?"

"Do you want me to tell you to fuck off? I retort.

He laughs in amusement. "Sorry. I'm just... surprised. You seem nicer today."

I narrow my eyes at him and he throws his hands up in surrender. "Hey, hey, I meant that as a compliment. Not to mention you look real cute today," he winks.

I wore a white floral sundress and sandals coz the weather felt warmer than usual today and boots seemed too uncomfortable.

"So," I say as we start to walk together, Buddy trotted in front of us happily. "Where are we going?"

He looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, I wanna have a look around town first. I guess we'll see," he answers.

Everyone in town greets Finnick and some people acknowledge my presence every now and again so as not to make Finnick suspicious that the town doesn't give me much respect. I greet them back anyway.

The girls are all throwing me death glares but I try to ignore them. They can't hurt me. Finnick winks at them and they all swoon. I feel jealous. Damn it.

We stop at a food stall that serves cold beverages and sweets. The vendor seemed overly eager to serve Finnick and grudgingly took my order.

Finnick orders a "chocolate shake" and some salted bread and I order a "rootbeer" and "chips".

"Won't that get you drunk?" Finnick asks in an all-grown up tone.

I roll my eyes. "This doesn't contain alcohol so no worries," I say before nibbling on my chips.

Finnick shrugs. "Oh okay," he eyes my food and then looks at me. "That's why you're so thin. You should try to eat healthy."

I sigh in frustration. "I'm slim. There's a difference." He snorts and I scowl at him.

"I do eat healthy. And I eat a lot. I just don't feel like eating much today," I explain.

"Hmm," Finnick looks thoughtful for a minute and grins charmingly at me. "Is it coz I make you nervous?"

I gulp. He got me. But there's no way I could admit that. "NO!" I say defensively and scoff. "I mean, why would I be? I don't think of you that way."

"But you_ do_ think of me right?" he moves his face closer to mine and my face has turned into a remarkable shade of red. He knows! And he's teasing me about it!

"Ehem..."

We both turn around to see who it was and immediately jump apart. Shit...

"Good afternoon, Mr. Odair," my stepdad, Mayor Eli greets him.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Eli. Care to sit down?" Finnick gestures to the chair beside him.

Mayor Eli had his own plans though. He scurries between the two of us and orders a plate of buttered shrimps and a beer.

"Uhm, where's mom?" I ask my stepdad. I glance at Finnick and he looks quite nervous. I smile inwardly. So he gets nervous too.

"She went to buy some clothes for you to wear tomorrow. Which reminds me," he stops eating. "Make sure to be around for the fishing exhibition tomorrow. Mr. Odair will be with us to watch."

I nod, not really in the mood to argue. I'm too embarrassed to say anything else.

In a few minutes, my mother arrived carrying bags full of clothing. They excuse themselves and head back to the direction of the Justice Building while Finnick and I continue walking, checking things out.

"How old did you say you were?" Finnick asks out of the blue.

"I'm sixteen. Turning seventeen in two months. And you're 24 right?"

"I'm flattered you know even the smallest things about me," he teases again.

"Oh please," I roll my eyes. "Those kinds of information are common knowledge."

"I love when you talk smart," he fakes a swoon.

I stop on my tracks and turn to him. "Are you like this with everyone?" I ask, making it evident that his flirting is annoying me.

"Hmm.." he looks thoughtful again. "Pretty much, yeah."

Okay.. That was the answer I was afraid of. And yet deep down, I knew that's just the truth. Finnick Odair is Panem's biggest playboy. And I find that unacceptable.

I turn on my heel and walk away. I hate this. I shouldn't even be affected. _But you are._

"Hey!" I hear him call out to me. "Wait up!" I don't slow down until he catches up. "You mad?"

"No."

"Really?" he looks at me disbelievingly.

"Yes. Really," I say.

"So why are you walking away from me again?"

"I... I got bored." I say, my head held high to look snotty.

That probably hit home. "You're... bored? With me?" he asks in such a hurt tone.

"Yes. I am."

He remains quiet for a bit. Then, "I see... That's a first."

"There's always a first for everything," I state condescendingly.

He nods. "Yeah."

I walk over to a store that sells hair accessories and finger some stuff to try to look busy. I try something with a red rose on it and look in the mirror. Finnick has been watching all this time. I ignore him and fix the pin on my hair.

"That looks great on you," he says quietly.

I take it off and place it back. "Nah." I move on to other stuff and he follows me. I pick up a headband with cat ears and put it on, eyeing it in the mirror. "Hmm.."

Finnick gives me a curious glance and then smiles. "Cute."

I take it off as well with a huff. Honestly.. He's just saying that. Not gonna work for me.

In the end, I just chose a plain, black hair tie. I walk out and of course Finnick follows closely behind me. Then I feel his hand grab my arm and I stop. He turns me to face him.

"Hey," he starts. "I'm sorry if I offended you earlier. Believe me, I didn't intend to."

I stay silent, my eyes blank. It wasn't enough. But I'm not exactly sure what I want from him.

"And when I said that pin looked great on you, I meant that. And I've never seen anyone look cute with cat ears till I saw you wear them," he continues. He's stroking my bare arms softly and looking deep into my eyes and I realize...

He's telling the truth.

I can't help but smile a little. "Okay." He smiles back and we start our little tour again.

The two of us walk over to a game stand. "You have to shoot 4 balls inside the hoops. You shoot all 4, you get the grand prize," the owner said to Finnick.

"So what's the prize?" I ask him.

"Well, you get to choose between these 3 big stuffed toys," he gestures to a huge bear, a dog and a fox.

"I want the fox," I say.

Finnick laughs and shakes his head. "Alright. A fox then. One game, mister," he says and the owner gives him a ball.

"Good luck," the owner says as Finnick prepares to shoot. He exhales a bit and throws the ball.

"One point," says the owner.

Finnick shoots again.

"And that's two."

I beam at him. "Go Finnick!" I cheer. He smiles mischievously and shoots.

"Three points! Last one!" the owner looks very excited. I start jumping and other people have joined in cheering for Finnick.

"Finnick! Finnick! Finnick! Finnick!"

Finnick shoots for the final time. And...

"Aw you missed!" the owner said and the voices die down in disappointment.

Finnick smiles sheepishly. "I got distracted," he explains to me.

I smile back. "It's okay." He takes out a few coins to pay for the game and we turn to leave.

"Hey, wait! Please!" It was the owner. Finnick and I exchange confused glances.

"What is it?" Finnick asks.

"You uh.. You can have the stuffed toy," he says to me.

"Really? But Finnick lost the game," I point out.

The owner shakes his head. "It's a gift. I.. I was a friend of your father. Please," he hands me the fox. "Take it."

Finnick looks just as bewildered as I am but I take it anyway. "Uhm.. Thank you, mister."

He smiles at me. "No matter what anyone says about you, I know.. I know you are like your father." With that, he left us.

I hug my new toy and smile sadly. This is one of those days I'll always remember.

"Let's go," I tell Finnick.

Finnick walks beside me, his hands in his pockets as he looked at the night sky. "So... When he was talking about your father, he wasn't talking about the mayor right?" he asks, obviously intrigued.

I shake my head no. "He was referring to my real dad, Xen Conde."

Finnick halts and looks at me in surprise. "Xen Conde?"

"Yeah. What is it? You're acting really weird," I cross my arms in front of me, waiting for him to explain.

"So you're saying you are the one and only daughter of _the_ Xen Conde?" Finnick asks persistently.

"Yes, now tell me what's got you so worked up," I say, scowling at his ridiculous reaction.

He smacks his face with his palm. "I can't believe it."

"Is that an insult?" I ask in a dangerous tone.

"No!" Finnick exclaims defensively. "I just," he pauses, trying to find the right words. "I can't believe I've found you. I didn't know that what I've been looking for is already right in front of me this whole time."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

He sighs. "I'll tell you when the right time comes."

"And when exactly is the right time?"

He cocks his head to the side. "Soon?"

Hmm.. Fine. I'll let it go. I shrug. "Okay. Deal. I'll wait. But you gotta give me the complete answers."

Finnick smiles. "Deal."

It was getting really late so he walked me home and promised to see me again the next morning.

I enter the house and walk quietly in the dark but the light in the living room suddenly lights up. I jump in fright. It was mom and my stepdad.

"How was your date?" My mother asks excitedly.

"It was... okay," I say, not giving any details.

"Do tell what happened, dear, and don't make me guess," my mom lightly scolds me. "Did he kiss you yet?"

"_Mom_!"

My stepdad sighs in defeat. "I'd appreciate if you don't become too attached to that boy."

"Darling, a few weeks ago, you were agreeing with me in matchmaking these two. What happened?" my mom frowns at her husband.

"I don't think he's a very good choice after all. He's a playboy isn't he?" he says in a not-so-convincing way. Hmm.. He's hiding something.

I raise a brow. "Maybe he is. But we are just friends. I don't like him in that way." _Liar._

"If you say so, Alli," my mom winks at me, obviously not believing a single word.

I excuse myself and go to bed. That night, I dreamed of red roses, the crashing waves, the warmth of the afternoon sun and Finnick Odair.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanna take this time to thank the people who added this story to their favorites and to everyone who started following this story.. I appreciate it a lot. I love you guys! I hope you liked reading this chapter coz it sure was fun writing it. Not to mention I have plot twists and surprises waiting for you guys in the next chapters. Do find time to review! I'd love to know what you guys are thinking. Love, Me. ;)**


	4. Chapter 3: Revelations

**CHAPTER 3**

**REVELATIONS**

I wake up early the next morning. It's the last day of the festival and I have to be there at the exhibition games. If I was looking forward to anything, it would be for the fireworks display at midnight.

I shower quickly, put on my choice of clothes which consists of a hanging white top, a black mini skirt and floral wedges. I brush my hair and hum to myself. I think of Finnick Odair. And how I look forward to seeing him again.

I go downstairs to have breakfast with my family. My stepdad, the mayor, is on the phone, talking quietly with someone. He looks a little tense.

I walk over to my mom and kiss her cheek. "Morning, mom."

"Good morning dear. Sit down, eat," she gestures to the food and then drinks her coffee.

"Who's Eli talking to?" I ask as I chew on a piece of bacon.

"It's the president," she said in hushed tones.

Oh.. I guess that's alright. He seems to talk to the president a lot anyway. Probably be something about the fishing industry.

About five minutes later, Mayor Eli puts the receiver back in its place and finally sits down. He sighs but we don't ask him anything. Whatever it is, it's top secret and we shouldn't pry.

"Allison," Mayor Eli addresses me.

I look at him. "Yeah?"

He seems very hesitant and sighs again. "Nevermind. Better hurry up. We can't be late."

After eating, we rode the car to the beach where the exhibitions are always held. It's very crowded and peacekeepers flock around us to protect us from possible threats.

We walk to an improvised stage and there sat District 4's living victors, Finnick Odair, Mags and Annie Cresta. Mags had an arm around the girl, Annie, who has her hands covering her ears.

Finnick looks worried. He turns to our direction and his eyes land on me. My heart stopped. He's beautiful. He smiles at me and I smile back.

He pats the seat beside him and I immediately head there but my stepdad holds me back. "Don't," he frowns at me.

I raise my eyebrow at him and shrug his hand off. "I'll do what I want."

"He is not good for you," Mayor Eli says.

"Seriously?" I glare at him. "Not good for me or for you? What the hell is your problem?"

He looks like he was finally gonna tell me his reason but my mother cut it off.

"Please.. Don't cause a scene," my mom says.

The mayor sighs and nods. Then to me, "Please listen to what I say," his tone more pleading than annoyed.

"You are not my father, Eli. I owe you nothing," and with that I walk to Finnick's direction and sit down with a huff.

"What happened?" he asks, concern evident in his voice.

"He wants me to avoid you," I answer him.

Finnick seems to think about that for a minute. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

I sigh. "Please don't."

"Alright," he says then looks sideways to Mags and Annie. "We're having a bit of a problem."

"What's wrong?" I ask and eye the two women. Annie is muttering about something while Mags tries to calm her down.

The emcee chose that moment to begin the event but the four of us didn't pay much attention. Annie's starting to mumble louder.

"Blood.. Blood everywhere," I hear her say. "I hear them screaming. I can hear them scream my name. They're crying for help." She closes her eyes and tries to cover her ears more. Mags's arms tighten around her and she looks to Finnick, asking for help. Finnick looks back at her, helpless and at a total loss.

"I can't take it anymore!" she stands up and screams, a terrible, skin-crawling scream.. The emcee stops talking, looking horrified as the audience.

Finnick and I both grab her and try to sit her back down but she's very strong. "Annie.." Finnick says in a pleading tone.

Mayor Eli and my mother approach us and try to pacify the disturbed woman but she just screams louder. A commotion has started in the audience and I can hear a few men complaining about inviting the victors.

"Just make the crazy bitch leave!" I hear one of them say.

"Why are they even invited?!"

"You Capitol people don't belong here!"

I look at the faces of those men, anger blazing in my eyes. I walk center-stage and yell, "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ASSHOLES!"

Everyone quiets down. Even Annie stopped. All eyes are on me. But I don't care.

"If you guys lack RESPECT for the District 4's victors then you have brought shame to all of us!" I continue. "You have no right to complain. They have gone through enough. You people don't know anything about the pain they have been through. Who cares if this event is delayed even for a bit? I don't give a shit even if this event is cancelled! It's nothing but a load of bullshit!"

Mayor Eli puts a hand on my shoulder to try to calm me down. I realize I'm shaking. In fury.

"Bullshit eh?" a huge, muscular man says. "So you call this bullshit. And yet it was your father who competed in these exhibition games all his grown life and spent 10 years as the winner."

Another one stepped forward. "You are the disgrace. You are nothing like your father."

I had a long list of profanities at the edge of my tongue and was about to let them all out when Finnick stepped in front of me in defense.

"I apologize in behalf of all my friends. We didn't mean to cause any ruckus today," he turns to Mags. "I'll escort you two back to the Victor's village."

"I'll come with you," I say but he puts a hand up.

"I'll be back. Just wait for me here," he says and the three victors leave the vicinity.

I sigh in frustration and get back to my seat. Mayor Eli along with the peacekeepers struggle to control the mob and when things start to get tolerable, the event finally progressed. I didn't pay any attention. But I did notice that my mother avoided my eyes all throughout.

About three to four hours later, the competition ended. The muscular man from earlier won and I sneered at him in disdain. The asshole sneered back.

Finnick never came back so I went to the direction of the Victor's Village which is a little near my house anyway.

Only one looks occupied. I guess they all live in the same house. I knock at the door and wait. No answer. Weird.

I knock again.

Hmm.. I try the doorknob. It's open. I peer inside but no one's around. I start to walk inside silently and close the door. There's an open door at the end of the hall. I approach it in caution and as I get closer, I hear soft whispering.

I take a peek and what I saw inside the room made me feel like my heart fell at the pit of my stomach.

It was a bedroom. I don't know whose bedroom it is but there on the king-sized bed was a naked Finnick Odair and an equally naked Annie Cresta wrapped together in a blanket. Finnick is whispering things while kissing and stroking her hair and Annie is calmer but still has that wild, scared look in her eyes.

I didn't expect this. I didn't expect this at all. I'm shaking. And I feel a wetness falling down my cheeks. I'm crying. I'm.. jealous.

I swallow a sob but end up making a choking sound. Finnick probably heard that coz he suddenly looked at the direction of the door. "Allison?" He looks horrified.

So am I. So I run outside and never look back. I just run and run, not really looking where I'm going. It's quite dark and I can't see much but I just have to get away from all the confusion. All this for a stupid teenage crush. I wanted to laugh at myself. I realize how immature this is. I regret ever going inside that house without permission and I regret witnessing that scene. Most of all, I regret running away like this. And yet, I can't stop.

I bump into someone, "Ow!" and fall flat on my ass. That might leave a goddamn mark. I look up and when my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, I saw my cousin, Jared, looking at me in amusement.

"Nice to see you too, dear cousin," he said with a grin, his blue eyes shining with mischief. He extends a hand to help me up and I take it but pull him down with me instead of standing. He yelps in surprise. "Hey! That wasn't very nice," he's still teasing, that asshole.

"Shut it, Jared. What the hell are you doing here?" I take a good look at him and I notice the bag he was carrying. "You ran away again?"

He shrugs. "You know how daddy dearest beats the shit out of me every time he gets himself drunk," he tries to joke about it but I know deep down, he feels depressed. His mother died of some rare disease a few years ago. After that his father turned to drinking and he'd lash out on his son every damn time. When he's sober he'd boss Jared around or insult him or whatever. My mom was Jared's mother's cousin and when his mother died, he'd always run off to us and stay a few days.

"Why don't you just live with us instead? We have plenty of room for you," I say to him. "Seriously, I often wonder if you're some sort of masochist or something."

He scoffs. "No way. Father won't last a week without me."

I sigh. "It beats the hell out of me as to why you even care about that son of a bitch."

He grins at me. "That son of a bitch is my dad, darling."

"He's your father. There's a difference," I tell him with conviction.

Jared laughs. "You can be such a smart ass."

"And you love me for it," I stick my tongue out at him and he just shakes his head, chuckling.

"Soooo," he drawls. "What are you doing and thinking, running around so late at night?"

I lie back on the grass and stare at the dark, star-studded skies. "I'm not entirely sure," I say, the thoughts of earlier coming back. "I've been acting like a silly teenager."

"Well, news flash darling," Jared says, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "We are teenagers, the both of us. And you are not silly," he looks at me seriously. "You are one crazy bitch."

I playfully strangle him and we both start laughing. He's really such an annoying ass. And I love him. He puts his arm around me and pulls me close. I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling a little better now.

"I saw you and Finnick Odair earlier at the stage. Keeping something from me, Conde?" He wiggles his eyebrows. "Having a crush on Odair now, are you?"

I sigh. "I don't wanna talk about him."

Jared whistles. "You have got it bad."

"I do not."

"So what's wrong if it's not Odair?"

"Nothing," I say indignantly.

"Liar."

"Ugh! Okay! I have a crush on Finnick! Happy?" I say, irritably.

He laughs, obviously amused. "Well what do you know? My cousin has finally got herself a guy. I feel jealous. I bet you'd be spending more time with him rather than with me."

I scoff. "Of course not. He doesn't feel anything for me."

"Bullshit. I saw the way he looked at you back there."

"You're wrong."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "And how do you know that?"

I suddenly feel guilty. And I bet I look like it too coz Jared's eyes widened. "You told him?"

"No!" I say. "I'd never!"

"Whew!" He exclaims. "So what then?"

I look at him seriously. "Swear to me you'll never speak of this to anyone."

"Okay. I promise. Sheesh."

"Well I.. Uh.. I went to his house earlier. No one's answering the door but I turned the knob and I saw it was open."

"So you went inside?"

I nod. "Yeah. And I heard a soft noise at the end of the hall. I saw it was Finnick... And Annie Cresta. In bed. Naked."

"Bullshit," he exclaimed.

"I'm telling the truth."

He glares at me. "Seriously?"

"Duh." I roll my eyes at him.

"Okay, okay.. Well what happened after that?"

"I kinda made an awful choking noise and..."

"Oh my God, he saw you?"

I nod again.

"Goddamn.." He says in exasperation. "Stupid move, doll. Stupid move."

"Well I was shocked. What do you expect?" I say angrily.

"You could've handled it with more finesse."

"I'd like to see you try walking in on a scene like that some time," I retort.

"So after that," he changes the subject. "You ran away?"

I nod, yes.

"You handled that so badly that I wanna cry," he says in disappointment.

"I know." I sigh. "I'm just.. I don't know. I wasn't thinking. I feel so confused."

"You like him. That's why," Jared says a-matter-of-factly. "You're jealous."

"I shouldn't be."

"True. But even so, that can't be helped."

I sit up. "What should I do?"

He was about to say something when I heard a familiar voice drawing near. A male voice and he wasn't alone. I turn to Jared, "Let's hide." He follows me in the shadows and wait for the owners of the voices to show up.

"I think this is far enough, Mayor Eli," the other voice says. It's...

"I don't trust you, Odair," my stepfather tells him with an air of superiority. "What is it you wanted to tell me? Just spit it out."

"I'm here to warn you about your stepdaughter, Allison," Finnick says, worry evident. I feel Jared's hand squeeze mine.

"I will never let anyone harm her. I treat her as my own and I will do everything to keep her safe," Mator Eli says with irritation.

"You can't keep her safe anymore, sir," Finnick answers. "She's in grave danger."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mayor Eli demands.

"The President is not happy with your decision of marrying Xen Conde's wife."

"I married her to keep them safe. To take care of them," Mayor Eli says in disbelief. "This is absurd."

Finnick shakes his head. "She will be reaped for the upcoming games, Mayor Eli. She'll be paying the price for you." I squeeze Jared's hand back, my body is shaking and he holds me tight against him.

"What?!"

"He wanted you to have them killed. Right?"

"How did you know about this?"

"It doesn't matter how I know. But I will swear to you, that I will take care of her."

Mayor Eli goes silent for a few seconds. "I couldn't kill them. I couldn't. I regret everything I did wrong to their family. But I was blinded by my love for Catherine. I've loved her for years. But when I killed Conde... It was my biggest regret. I..."

I step out from the shadows. "You killed my dad?" I say, disbelief, shock and anger building up inside me. Being part of the next Hunger Games doesn't come close to this piece of news. "You killed my dad?!"

* * *

**A/N: I know this is beyond delayed and I'm truly sorry about that. It's just that it's the holidays and I've been going out of town a lot more lately. I hope no one's annoyed or anything. R and R so I know what you think. PLEASE? LOL. Have a grand Christmas everyone!**


	5. Chapter 4: Explanations

**CHAPTER 4**

**EXPLANATIONS**

Have you ever felt that heat of emotion deep inside your gut where in you know you are about to detonate in only a matter of seconds as if you were a time bomb, poised to destroy everything within reach? That's what I feel right now. I am clearly in rage mode and I feel Jared's fingers digging into my skin as I glared at my stepftather, the one and only Mayor Eli Marco. The man who had killed my father.

Finnick was standing beside him, his face looking very grave and disturbed. I don't get why I feel so angry with him too. I felt so betrayed by these two men. But I was angrier at Mayor Eli and that's where I focused all my attention. I was ready to give back the favor he did to my dad.

"You bastard," I start to say coldly. Mayor Eli flinched at my tone. "I trusted you! And after all this time, you were the enemy!"

"I'm not your enemy, Alli," he sighs dejectedly. "I'm trying to make up for my mistakes and I'm sorry if–"

"You're sorry?" I ask, mocking him and I shrug my arm off of Jared's grasp and start walking closer to them. "Exactly what are you sorry for? For killing an innocent man and taking his family for your own? You are nothing but a selfish son of a bitch!"

Jared tries to stop me but I've already punched Mayor Eli's nose. He whimpered in pain and Finnick shields him away from me. "Get the hell out of my way!" I yell. "Jared let go!"

"You have to calm down, darling," I hear him whisper in my ear.

"No way! No fucking way! I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!"

"Just stop, Allison!" Finnick yells back at me.

"Shut the fuck up, Odair, this has nothing to do with you!"

"Yes it does! Can't you see how involved I am now?!" Finnick tackles me and pins me to the ground. He'd pushed Jared away and now I'm struggling beneath him.

"Get off! Damn it!"

"No. You listen to me and you listen to me good," he says seriously, his nose already touching mine. "We want to help you."

"You liar," I feel wetness falling down my cheeks. "Just get the fuck off me, you prat!"

"You are not listening!" he says in frustration. "Just calm down and let us explain."

I sneak a look at Jared who was helping Mayor Eli stand. He gave me a look that said, "Just do as he says."

I sigh in defeat. "If I promise to listen, will you get off me?"

Finnick nods. "I promise."

"Fine. Get off," he did and he helped me up but still held on to me just in case I start to go berserk again. I wipe my tears away and then look at Mayor Eli. "Well?"

He looks very pale, his nose bloody and his mouth is also bruised. "Let me just start by telling you what had led me into doing the things I did," he began.

"Your father, Xen Conde and I knew each other from way back in our childhood. We weren't close but he had been popular for his strength and honorable attributes. We were very different but one thing we had in common was your mother," Mayor Eli smiles sadly.

"We both loved her deeply. It wasn't very surprising that she chose him instead of me. I'd been weak and pathetic all those years. I was heartbroken. So I vowed to better myself. I created more efforts to make people notice me. I showed everyone that I can be a leader when I applied for a post in the government."

"The mayor at the time favored me and in only a few years, I succeeded him. Everything seemed to be going well. Until I heard whispers about people in the district, rebelling against the Capitol. I was mortified."

Mayor Eli shifted a little, a sign of nervousness. "I tried to stall President Snow and told him that there is no uprising in District 4. But of course he'd know I was lying. One day, I received word from him."

"He'd had a few bugs sent off to bring him information he needed. And I saw your father's name on top of the list. He had been leading the people for an uprising."

"And then President Snow..." Mayor Eli continues. "He commanded me to assemble the rebels, who were mostly fishermen, to the shore. And he asked me to kill the leader as a warning to them, that the Capitol shall never be defied. And your father," his breath started to hitch. "I still remember his words to me."

"_You never stopped being a coward after all_, was what he said. I pulled the trigger and he collapsed to the ground. I felt angry. Coz he was right. I was a coward. I didn't have the guts to do what he did. All I cared about was the district's slate to be clean from 'crimes' against the government. I couldn't fight for real freedom. And I'm a cheat. I'll admit to you, Alli. I partly did what I did coz I wanted his family to myself. And I'm sorry," he says pleadingly.

"I'm sorry I stole your father's place. I'm so sorry," his tears came flooding down his remorse-painted face.

I'd been crying too. It was all too much. "I'm sorry too..." I say to him. "Coz I can't forgive you. But I won't kill you or anything. Coz I want you to take care of my mom. When I get to the arena, there is no guarantee I'll be able to get back. So you have to promise me," I shoot him another glare. "That you will be there for her. In place of me."

Mayor Eli's really sobbing now. "Finnick you have to help her get home," he pleads. He looked really pathetic. "Bring my daughter home."

Finnick nods. "I will do everything I can to bring her back if it means taking my own life."

"NO!" I yell at him. "This is a fight to the death. Stop being a hero for me. I don't need you."

"Alli, you need his help. Please," Mayor Eli says. "For your mother."

I sigh. "Let's just do what we have to. And stop the heroics, Odair. I find it unattractive."

Finnick smiles sadly. "Sorry."

I turn to Jared. "Still coming home with us?" I ask him.

He grinned cheekily, "I won't miss this family drama for the world."

I roll my eyes at him. "Whatever, asswipe."

When Mayor Eli finally calmed down, he proposed we all go home but Finnick had other plans.

"Mayor, can I borrow Allison for a few more minutes. I have a few things I need to talk about with her," he says. Oh no...

My stepdad concedes and he and Jared left us alone in the woods. It's a few minutes before midnight. I sit and look at the sky waiting for those blasted fireworks, avoiding Finnick's gaze as long as I could.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" he asks as he sat down beside me.

"Coz I'm waiting for the fireworks," I answer.

"Sure," he says, obviously unconvinced. "Listen," he pauses. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?"

"For keeping a lot of things from you."

I scoff. "You don't owe me any explanations about..." I couldn't even say it.

"About Annie and I?" he finishes for me.

I nod slowly. "Yeah."

He sighs. "Alli..." he begins. "I'm no good for you."

I look at him. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Seriously. I'm not what you think I am."

"I like you, Finnick." I finally admit and he winced. Oh crap. "I don't know how, I don't know why, I don't know when it started but I do. I like you a lot."

He remains quiet and stares at the sky. The fireworks have started. It would have been romantic if it had been a different situation.

"Look... I understand. You love her. I'm not asking you to like me back," I tell him, my tone slightly angry.

"I'm not good for you," he says again.

"YOLO."

"What?" he asks me, confusion etched on his handsome face.

"You only live once," I answer. "Nevermind."

He actually laughed at that. "You're such a teenager."

"Are you like, saying I'm immature?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Nope. I think you're quite smart for your age. But you need to be smarter, Alli. Coz it's not wise for you to fall for someone like me.'"

"If this is about you killing people in that arena so you're a bad person, I'm gonna have to call this bullshit," I say, annoyed.

"It's not just that, Al."

""Al"? Really?" I glare at him again.

He disregards that and he continues staring at the fireworks. A haunted expression on his face.

"Why don't you just tell me you don't like me? It's truly okay," obviously a lie.

Finnick sighs. "It's not that I don't like you or find you unattractive," he begins. "I do like you and I think you're a beautiful lady. But there's something about me that you should know."

He looks at me to check if I was listening. He needn't worry. I'd hang on to every word he says the rest of my life if I could.

"I'm Panem's biggest whore."

I laugh. "That's quite hilarious."

"Al," he says scoldingly. "I'm fucking serious. I'm a prostitute at the Capitol. That's the reason I rarely stay in District 4."

He runs a hand on his messy bronze locks. "I became the victor of the 65th Hunger Games when I was fourteen. I'm probably the Capitol's most favorite victor ever. I was given a lot of privileges, gifts... Everyone adored me. And I'm quite ashamed that I liked the attention. I was an immature bastard."

"My life revolved around going to parties, being a date to some sort of Capitol elite to parties and mentoring for the games. Until I turned sixteen," Finnick pauses and looks me square in the eyes. "I was sent to a courtesan named Madeleine Cross. President Snow just showed up on my front door one day and left me to her care."

"She taught me everything there is to know about flirting, seduction and sex. At first, I wasn't very cooperative. Of course the idea of whoring appalled me and I was furious at them and demanded to leave her premises."

"Until the president sent me a hologram," he said this with a crazed grin. "He said if I don't cooperate, he'll kill Mags, my mentor. My friend... My only family. I had no choice."

He stands up and then looks down at me, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I don't deserve you, Allison. I will be your friend. But I can't be more than that. You deserve so much more. I'm a despicable human being."

"I don't care," I say calmly. It was true. I don't care one bit. It's a shocking piece of news but I like him the same way I did just a few moments ago. "What you said doesn't change anything."

"What you see, Allison, is nothing. My face is nothing. I'm completely broken and undeserving of anything and anyone as pure as you," he tells me.

I stand up as well and turn to leave. "I'm not listening to you," I say. "I'll do what I want."

"You are one stubborn, young woman," he sighs in defeat.

I grin at that. Without turning around I tell him, "I'm not that shallow, Finnick. I don't care about your looks or what you've done and experienced in the past. Everyone deserves to be loved. Especially broken people like you. You're not the only one who's been through some rough shit. So stop being a drama queen. Not everything broken can never be fixed."

Finnick didn't speak for a few seconds, probably trying to process what I'd said and I was getting ready to walk away when he spoke, "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you in the morning. We have to get you trained."

I nod and start to make my way home. I can feel a migraine coming up, what with all these new information flying around my head.

I have bigger problems to face. I only have a week before the reaping. There is no time left to waste. I gotta be ready.

* * *

**Author's note: Hello, hello! I know this is extremely late and that this is not my best chapter and I'm an incorrigible human being but please understand, my life hasn't been easy the past few weeks. I have family and relationship drama all over the place and I tried reeeeaaally hard to finish this chapter even if I know it sucks. Please don't hate me. :'(**

**With all my love and depression,**

**Your Authoress**

**PS: I'll try to do better next time, okay? /3**


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